Xavier women's hoops loses in NAIA Tournament to Faulkner, 67-63

Xavier's women's basketball team followed one postseason upset in the GCAC Tournament with another in Thursday's opening-round of the NAIA Tournament, losing to Faulkner (Alabama), 67-63.

The 3rd-seeded Gold Nuggets (24-6) were done in by cold shooting from the outside, as the team hit just 3-of-20 three-point shots for the game. SiMon Franklin led the way with 17 points and 5 rebounds, Paige Gauthier added 13 points, and Danielle Tucker chipped in 10.

Franklin and Tucker combined to go 0-for-7 from three-point range. Xavier entered the game ranked 12th in the country, while Faulkner was 21st.

Previously, the GCAC regular-season champ Gold Nuggets lost in the GCAC tourney first round to Fisk.

Xavier and Faulkner (27-6) played in December, with Faulkner winning then, as well, 66-64 in Montgomery.

Brittney Carter led the way for Faulkner with 26 points and 14 rebounds and Christina Hayes added 19 points.

Of the five three-point deficits the Gold Nuggets faced in the final eight minutes, the first two resulted in defensive stops — but Xavier followed those with a missed 3-pointer and a turnover. Faulkner scored on ensuing possessions the other three times.

"If we had played hard the entire 40 minutes like we did in the second half, we would've been all right," Xavier Coach Bo Browder said. "But Faulkner did some nice things, too, so give them credit. Their big girl (Carter) was a force inside again, and we let Hayes go off in the first half."